1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to latch mechanisms in general and more particularly to dual latch mechanisms as may be found latching the tail-gate or lift-gate of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Present vehicles have either a single or dual latching mechanism to secure the lift-gate to the vehicle in the locked position. When the vehicle operator wants to open the lift-gate, the mechanism is actuated and the rotor rotates to move the striker free of the latch. On lift-gates that are heavy because of their size and construction, the weight of the lift-gate is such that the striker does not leave the rotor. The vehicle operator then has to lift the lift-gate by hand.
Some improvements to the prior art are the adaptation of compression springs to the lift-gate that are compressed when the lift-gate is locked. Once the rotor rotates to unleash the striker, the springs add a lifting force to help operate the striker move from the latch rotor that allows the lift-gate to rotate to its open position. Such improvements, when spread across many vehicles, are expensive and labor intensive to add to a vehicle.